𝙇𝙪𝙯 𝙡𝙖𝙮 𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙮 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙚, 𝙛𝙡𝙤𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨, 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙.
She let out a noise of confusion, her arms were spread outwards and she noticed jagged, yet wave-patterned cliffs looming over her being.
The Latina stood up, looking around with a frown as she didn't see any of her friends in sight, her eyes darting upwards to see a small yellow glowing figure running on the ceiling. They panted, coming to a halt.
They then took a few steps more to get closer to the human, waving at her as Luz raised her eyebrow in confusion. Before she could say anything, the Latina was pulled into the ground, screaming as she was dragged by her feet.
As she sunk through, on the other side of the portal, Amity dragged Luz across, the Latina crashing onto the ground as her torso was completely through the portal, and appeared at the other side.
"Luz!" Amity called her girlfriend's name, and the human witch looked around, seeing all of her friends, girlfriend and mother's worried faces.
"You were in there for so long we thought you got stuck behind!" Amity exclaimed, occasionally stumbling over her words from worry.
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
Amity kneeled beside her girlfriend, placing a hand on Luz's cheek as the human girl's eyes widened in surprise. The Latina gently took Amity's hand, pulling it away as she smiled, although it didn't meet her eyes.
"I- I'm fine," She replied. "I saw something, or someone, but it was probably just in my head."
Luz waved a hand, pushing herself off of the ground as her brows furrowed at the problem at hand.
"Any sight of... him?" Luz questioned, the group knowing exactly who she was speaking of.
"Oh, come on," Hunter scoffed. "It's not like a swarm of ghosts will inexplicably appear when you say his name."
The boy then halted, placing his hand on his chin in thought before he narrowed his eyes, coming to a conclusion as his friends watched him.
"I think. Anyway," He continues. "If Belos was here, he's long gone now."
"Well he better stay out of our way," Camila hissed, tapping the head of her bat against her hands. "This Mama's hungry for vengeance!"
"Now that is a fight I'd watch!" Gus grinned, pointing finger guns at Camila, the others smiling at the mother.
As they walked through the forest, birds squawked, and the area was almost completely empty of people. Willow popped up from behind trees, her eyes narrowed and peeled for any other life form as she then announced the status of the perimeter around her to the others.
"Okay everyone, the coast is clear!" She called out before her eyes caught sight of the red grass that grew beside the tree she hid behind.
"Oh hello, red grass!" She cooed, taking the plant life into her hands. "I've missed you! I can't talk for long, we're on a mission to save the Boiling Isles."
Hunter, Georgia, Gus and Xen halted, the illusionist and the oracle smiling as they both cast an illusion spell, humanising the grass for their friend. Willow's eyes widened as the grass began talking to her.
"Willow's back! Hooray!" The grass cheered, hugging the plant witch.
Hunter smiled softly seeing Georgia giggle at Willow's happiness, the oracle so glad that her friend was finding comfort in her plants once more.
A chirp in the distance pulled him out of his trance, the boy freezing at the noise as he spotted a bright red bird, his memories of Flapjack flying by before the bird sped off. As the plants chuckled with Willow, now on her head and on her arm, Hunter grunted, grabbing the others' attention.
He gripped his head in anguish, snapping.
"We don't have time for red grass or illusions!" He hissed, storming off. "Belos had a headstart, so we should keep moving until we find him."
Willow's smile dropped, Georgia and Gus un-casting their illusion spell as the oracle tensed her jaw slightly.
"Don't worry about him," She reassured the other two. "He's hurting. With a little help and support, he'll be alright."
Gus looked away guiltily, Willow noticing this as she smiled at the boy, but Georgia noticed the hurt in her eyes.
"Don't worry," Willow reassured her younger brother figure. "I bet we'll all feel better when we punch Belos right through the face. And yes, I mean through the face!"
"Oo! And with a giant gauntlet mixed with all our powers!" Georgia added on with a smile, the others' smiles growing.
"And with a little boost from my animal friends," Xen smirked, the four witches snickering to themselves at the thought of their actions.
"Thanks, Willow, Georgia," Gus smiled at the two girls. "You're always looking out for us, aren't you?"
Willow's smile grew, and Georgia wrapped her arm around Willow's and Xen's shoulders, Gus chuckling at the sight.
"Well someone has to," The plant witch grinned, Georgia smiling proudly.
"And honestly, you guys are the best people to look after," The brunette's smile softened. "I wouldn't change it for the world."
The three others smiled softly at the girl, before Willow pulled away, casting a green plant spell circle.
"And it looks like my job here is done!"
Vines grew beneath the girl's feet, lifting Willow up as they carried her away. Xen called out for the girl, summoning a nearby beast as they jumped on, excitement growing in Georgia. The brunette cast a light purple spell circle, forming a purple, oracle platform, the girl hopping on as it sped after the other two, a race set between them.
"Oh, wow!" Camila grinned. "You kids were really holding back in the Human Realm, huh?"
Amity smiled, using her two fingers to show a "pinching" motion as she responded.
"Maybe a little," She grinned.
The abomination witch noticed some purple goo on the ground, gasping slightly as she cast a spell, the liquid soon glowing with her power. The teenager spun around, the goo turning into gauntlets around her hands.
"Hello, you gorgeous slime!" Amity grinned, chuckling as it moved around her in the air.
Luz watched Amity mess around with her element, a soft smile growing on her face as it warmed, but not long after her smile dropped, Camila instantly noticed this.
"Mija, you never told me how pretty this place was," Camila pulled her daughter away from the topic, looking around her environment.
"The trees, the sky, que ve dies– AH!"
Camila's eyes widened in horror as she spotted the giant skull before her, her sentence being cut off with her own, horrified scream. The woman failed to notice the blue sparkles around the skull, glitter decorating the trees as yellow stars and rainbows were plastered all over like stickers.
"Kids, stand back!" Camila yelled, pushing the teens behind her. "Who knows if that monster is alive or not?"
"Actually," Amity's frown reappeared. "The Titan skull is normal. Everything else is..."
"Wrong," Luz finished as a star appeared, giggling as it hopped over the trees.
"Guys, what's on top of the skull?" Willow frowned in confusion, Georgia's gut instantly filled with worry for her parents.
The group noticed a circular palace above the Titan's skull, almost looking like a crown, as it was topped with stars and a crescent moon.
"I don't know but, maybe we can get some answers from Bonesborough," Luz shrugged, the others walking off towards the blue, glittery mess.
"Wow! Skulls, bones," Camila placed her hands on her hips with a smile. "I can really see this place helping you with your taxidermy hobby."
"Mama, you're pretending to like this place, aren't you?" Luz smiled at her mother, albeit it wasn't a real smile.
"No! I love the fact that you've been living on a giant... carcass," The older woman flinched slightly at the idea, Luz sighing.
"It's sweet of you, really," Luz turned back to the sight before her, her smile dropping. "But I haven't changed my mind. After we rescue Eda and King, I'm staying in Human Realm. Permanently. It's for the best."
Camila turned to face her daughter, her own smile falling to see her daughter so crestfallen. As Luz walked off, Camila held her hand out, trying to communicate with the younger Latina.
"Wait, let's talk first," She began, but when she got no answers, she sighed.
The mother saw no point continuing the conversation, as her daughter clearly wasn't up for negotiation. She followed Luz down the hill, hoping that maybe with time, the girl would change her mind.
–––
Not too far from the group, in a dark forest, a butterfly landed on a rock its blue surroundings further enhanced its beauty. The Collector's image flashed on its wings before a heavy impact landed on it, a green, slimy hand squashing the poor bug.
Belos kept walking forward despite the trail of burning goo he left behind, each pool smoking as he lifted his limbs.
He let out a roar, his vision blurry before him as he noticed a grey figure appearing. His vision was shakey, but he recognised the blood-tipped blade hovering over the figure's head.
The apparition looked almost starved, his cheeks and eyes sunken in and ribs visible through a tattered shirt. Eyebags were a prominent feature of the being as he looked vaguely familiar. Belos let out a hiss.
"Don't mock me!" He seethed. "I tried to save your soul. It's your fault this all happened!"
Belos let out a screech, swiping his elongated arms at the apparition in a cross-motion, but the ghost being a ghost, it went right through. The eldritch horror of a man panted in exhaustion before his left hand fell off, groaning as his body gave way.
The ghost before him watched him with disgust, Belos heaving in pain. The ghost's gaze remained ahead, Belos soon pushing himself up as he walked past the paranormal being, rasping as the ghost soon vanished.
"I need... a new body."
And the further he moved, the wind whistled, the beast heading towards the Titan's skull that lay far ahead.